Meet Project Engineer, Soheil

Soheil Tahmasbi joined Monadelphous earlier this year and working as a Project Engineer in our Mt Thorley team in New South Wales.  

Originally from Iran, Soheil completed her Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and gained hands on engineering experience in the oil and gas industry before moving to Australia.  

"In 2015, my partner and I took the leap to relocate to Australia. This decision led me to secure a Business and Industry scholarship, facilitating my pursuit of a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Newcastle," she shared.  

Soheil's research focused on the numerical simulation of rockfall drapery systems, instrumental in controlling the trajectories of falling rocks within open-cut mines, roads, and construction sites. 

After completing her PhD in March 2020, she was appointed as a research associate at the Priority Research Centre for Geotechnical Science and Engineering (CGSE) at the University of Newcastle.  

Soheil then pursued a project management diploma at TAFE, which led to the beginning of her journey with Monadelphous.  

“The main reason I wanted to join Monadelphous was for the role itself, I have always wanted to excel in project management and working as a design engineer, I didn’t have many opportunities to practice that.”  

Soheil said the main thing she enjoys about working at Monadelphous is how supportive the people are, and the hands-on experience she got from the beginning.  

Deputy Chair of the Newcastle Women in Engineering Committee and a member of the National Women in Engineering Committee with Engineers Australia, Soheil is also passionate about inspiring young women from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM. 

“I am really passionate about it because I have lived it. There were not many women in mechanical engineering when I was studying, so it was challenging to make yourself seen and get the opportunities that other students had.”  

“In the past three years, I have also been volunteering with HunterWISE as a mentor and industry representative promoting STEM careers for high school girls in the Hunter region.”   

“My advice for someone considering entering the industry is don’t ever be afraid of trying. There is a perception that when you want to start as an engineer you have to be perfect at maths, but that’s not always the case – there are a lot of different pathways you can take.”   

Now that Soheil has hands-on experience, she is keen to pursue a career in project management and continue to advocate for women in engineering, as well as support immigrant engineers with their journey into the industry.